Well I have done it! My first professional win on the DP World Tour.
The winner of the 2022 Horizon Irish Open. That sounds so nice. And in such a big tournament with such history and so many legendary champions.
I am so proud to also be the first golfer from my home country of Poland to win on the DP World Tour and plant our National Flag in the world of golf.
Also, what a relief. In hindsight it has perhaps been coming for a while, but there is nothing like getting that ‘W’ across the line. I have had six top-10 finishes this season before this week, including three in the month of May!
Best golf
I did not play my best golf today, my driver misbehaved at times, I missed too many fairways, and this is arguably the strongest part of my game. You really have to play this course from the fairways with preferred lies in effect all week.
However, I kept in touch early in my round with some good par saves and a birdie on the par 4, 15th hole put me right in contention, but then I missed another fairway left on 16, hit a great second shot and I made the birdie putt to take the lead on my own.
On the par 5, 17th hole measuring 534 yards, I hit a strong drive, this time onto the fairway and hit a 7 iron on the front edge of the green and only went and made an eagle.
I stood on the 18th tee with a three-shot lead with just one hole to play, the toughest hole on the golf course all week.
I hit another great drive of 297 yards, apparently, the longest from the field all day on the home hole, I must have been pumped up. I hit the middle of the green with my second and two putted for a back nine of 31, a final round of 66, my best score of the week, and a 72 hole total of 20 under par, 268.
Last night after my third round with a one stroke lead, I followed my usual routine with some stretching exercises and I had dinner with my good friends from Dubai: Marta Biswas and husband Subho, who are also my sponsors, White Eagle Sport, the corporate golf day and event organisers. Marta is also from Poland so it was good to have friends around this week and talk about stuff other than just golf, and we went to the same restaurant as the night before, just for a good omen, and it did us no harm.
This win moves me up to 7th in the 2021-2022 DP World Tour Rankings.
Dubai support
Thanks for everyone’s support from Dubai. I have really enjoyed this week and sharing my GULF NEWS Daily Diary.
Hopefully it will be the first of many wins in my career.
As I said at the start of the week, this is the first of a big three weeks for me for my 2022 year. Week 1 could not have gone better here at Mount Juliet, a well deserved celebration tonight, then off to the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club, a Rolex Series event, and then, the third week off to St Andrews for The 150th Open.
See you all soon and goodnight from Ireland!
- Adrian is a 29 year-old Dubai resident, born in Germany with Polish nationality and plays on the DP World Tour.
